Republican members of Congress stand while Democrats keep their seats during President Donald Trump's State of the Union address at the U.S. Capitol on Feb. 24, 2026.

(BOISE, IDAHO) On the evening of Oct. 11, just weeks before the 2026 midterm elections, a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to stop airing taxpayer-funded television advertisements praising President Donald Trump.

Yet two of the ads continued running past the court’s deadline, including during broadcasts of “60 Minutes” and “ABC World News Tonight.”

Originally published on theconversation.com, part of the BLOX Digital Content Exchange.